CAREER: Phylogeny of the Siphonaptera of the World

9983195 Whiting Fleas包括一个相对较小的全变态昆虫目（Siphonaptera），约有2380种，与鸟类和哺乳动物宿主有关。 跳蚤科之间的系统发育关系几乎是未知的，仍然令人困惑。 本提案的研究部分的目的是确定蚤目在家族和属的水平上的系统发育关系。这将通过汇编跳蚤和相关类群的大量代表性的形态学和DNA序列数据，然后对这些数据进行严格的系统发育分析来完成。 一旦寄生虫发生到位，将评估跳蚤的当前分类，并研究跳蚤进化过程中哺乳动物-鸟类宿主转移的模式。本提案的教育部分的目的是为广泛的本科生提供基本的系统学教育，并为那些对系统学和进化生物学最感兴趣的人提供重要的研究经验。 学生将有机会进行实地考察，收集为基础的研究（例如，记录跳蚤形态），基于实验室的研究（例如，DNA测序）和基于计算的研究（例如，系统发育分析）。 重点将是发展本科生的研究和分析技能，这是在进化生物学成功的职业生涯所必需的。 教育经验在犹他州国家系统学研讨会上达到高潮，学生们在研讨会上展示他们的研究成果，并有机会与其他机构的同行互动，最后学生们准备出版手稿。 该项目将提供急需的跳蚤生殖学信息，促进系统学学生的培训，并帮助激发对跳蚤系统学的兴趣，这是一个急需年轻专家的领域。

9983195Whiting Fleas comprise a relatively small holometabolous insect order (Siphonaptera) of about 2380 species which are associated with bird and mammal hosts. The phylogenetic relationships among flea families are virtually unknown and have remained perplexing. The purpose of the research component of this proposal is to determine phylogenetic relationships of Siphonaptera at the familial and generic levels. This will be accomplished by compiling morphological and DNA sequence data for a large representation of fleas and related taxa, then subjecting these data to rigorous phylogenetic analysis. Once the phylogeny is in place, the current classification of fleas will be evaluated and the pattern of mammal-bird host shifts during flea evolution will be investigated. The purpose of the education component of this proposal is to provide a basic systematics education to a wide range of undergraduate students, and to furnish significant research experiences to those most interested in systematics and evolutionary biology. Students will be given opportunities for field work, collection-based research (e.g., documenting flea morphology), lab-based research (e.g., DNA sequencing), and computation based-research (e.g., phylogenetic analysis). The focus will be on developing research and analytical skills in undergraduate students, which are necessary for successful careers in evolutionary biology. The education experience culminates in a Utah State Systematics symposium where the students present their research and have the opportunity to interact with peers from other institutions and concludes with students preparing a manuscript for publication. This project will provide much needed information on flea phylogeny, facilitate the training of students in systematics, and help spawn interest in flea systematics, an field sorely in need of young specialists.